It sounds like the perfect situation, doesn't it: Having the freedom to stay at home with your children while also earning a respectable income? And why shouldn't it work? While your children happily play with their toys, you can work on the computer. And while your little ones nap, you can be having a conference call with a client and also be icing a birthday cake. So simple, so straightforward. It's a wonder why everyone isn't doing this.
The reality is something quite different. You sit down at the computer to work on that project, you child chooses that moment to spit up. Two minutes into that conference call, the children start fighting and the screams can be heard all the way to Tokyo.
So, as in much of life; especially when one has children, the dream isn?t quite the same as reality. What are the pitfalls of working from home and being a mother? What can happen to trip up that happy image?
One of the biggest challenges is scheduling time to actually get the work done. Some moms find that they have to hire a babysitter or a nanny to watch the kids so they can work without interruption. While this works in some instances, it is a costly solution that can severely reduce your earnings. Instead of hiring a babysitter, an older child may be able to watch the younger ones while you work. This, too, is not without its pitfalls. You will still be interrupted when arguments and disagreements arise between the siblings.
Children?s pets present another pitfall of working from home and being a mother. Moms who earn income from on-line auctions must rely on freight services to pick up at the house. Delivery vans are notorious for making dogs go bananas. Some work-at-home moms report the mere sound of that familiar brown van coming down the street causes their dog to bark at 105 decibels; loud enough to cause permanent hearing loss. She can?t get rid of the dog, it?s the children?s pet.
Some work-at-home moms work at night when the children are asleep. Some handle customer service calls or do bookkeeping. The house is quiet and there is on one to interrupt. However, the next day, mom is exhausted from working all night but must face the next full day of taking care of her children. Naps are required and not just for the children, but for the work-at-home mom.
Work-at-home moms face other pitfalls as well. The pay is often low. And worse, there are some employers who routinely reject contract work, claiming poor quality in order to avoid having to pay at all. Rarely do businesses offer healthcare or retirement benefits. It takes careful budgeting and planning to make sure you will have the means to take care of yourself in your elder years.
In addition to the interruptions, the low pay, and lack of benefits, perhaps the toughest pitfall facing work-at-home moms is the lack of adult contact. No longer will you be able to pop into your coworker's office and chat about the latest television show or to seek help on a task you've undertaken. Your children will be more interested in the bug they found outside, or the video they want to watch for the hundredth time, or to give you big hugs with their candy-coated sticky fingers than in your work. Well, I suppose that's a pitfall most moms would gladly accept.
